Mini-Hepcidin Peptides and Methods of Using Thereof

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein are peptides which exhibit hepcidin activity and methods of making and using thereof.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/120,277, filed 5 Dec. 2008, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. FPIC

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

This invention was made with Government support of Grant Nos. DK 075378 and DK 065029, awarded by the National Institutes of Health. The Government has certain rights in this invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to peptides which exhibit hepcidin activity.

2. Description of the Related Art

Hepcidin, a peptide hormone produced by the liver, is a regulator of iron homeostasis in humans and other mammals. Hepcidin acts by binding to its receptor, the iron export channel ferroportin, and causing its internalization and degradation. Human hepcidin is a 25-amino acid peptide (Hep25). See Krause et al. (2000) FEBS Lett 480:147-150, and Park et al. (2001) J Biol Chem 276:7806-7810. The structure of the bioactive 25-amino acid form of hepcidin is a simple hairpin with 8 cysteines that form 4 disulfide bonds as described by Jordan et al. (2009) J Biol Chem 284:24155-67. The N terminal region is required for iron-regulatory function, and deletion of 5 N-terminal amino acid residues results in a loss of iron-regulatory function. See Nemeth et al. (2006) Blood 107:328-33.

Abnormal hepcidin activity is associated with iron overload diseases which include hereditary hemochromatosis and iron-loading anemias. Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is a genetic iron overload disease that is mainly caused by hepcidin deficiency, or very rarely by hepcidin resistance. This allows excessive absorption of iron from the diet and development of iron overload. Clinical manifestations of HH may include liver disease (hepatic cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma), diabetes, and heart failure. Currently, the only treatment for HH is regular phlebotomy, which is effective but very burdensome for the patients.

Iron-loading anemias are hereditary anemias with ineffective erythropoiesis such as β-thalassemia, which are accompanied by severe iron overload. Complications from iron overload are the main cause of morbidity and mortality for these patients. Hepcidin deficiency is the main cause of iron overload in untransfused patients, and contributes to iron overload in transfused patients. The current treatment for iron overload in these patients is iron chelation which is very burdensome, sometimes ineffective and accompanied by frequent side effects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to peptides which exhibit hepcidin activity and methods of using thereof.

The present invention provides peptides, which may be isolated and/or purified, comprising, consisting essentially or consisting of the following structural formula

A1-A2-A3-A4-A5-A6-A7-A8-A9-A10

wherein

-   -   A1 is Asp, Glu, pyroglutamate, Gln, Asn, or an unnatural amino         acid commonly used as a substitute thereof;     -   A2 is Thr, Ser, Val, Ala or an unnatural amino acid commonly         used as a substitute thereof;     -   A3 is His, Asn, Arg, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as         a substitute thereof;     -   A4 is Phe, Leu, Ile, Trp, Tyr or an unnatural amino acid         commonly used as a substitute thereof which includes         cyclohexylalanine;     -   A5 is Pro, Ser, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as a         substitute thereof;     -   A6 is Ile, Leu, Val, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as         a substitute thereof;     -   A7 is Cys, Ser, Ala, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as         a substitute thereof which includes S-tertiary butyl-cysteine;     -   A8 is Ile, Leu, Thr, Val, Arg, or an unnatural amino acid         commonly used as a substitute thereof;     -   A9 is Phe, Leu, Ile, Tyr or an unnatural amino acid commonly         used as a substitute thereof which includes cyclohexylalanine;         and     -   A10 is Cys, Ser, Ala, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used         as a substitute thereof;

wherein the carboxy-terminal amino acid is in amide or carboxy-form;

wherein at least one sulfhydryl amino acid is present as one of the amino acids in the sequence; and

wherein A1, A2, A3, A1 to A2, A1 to A3, A10, A9 to A10, A8 to A10, or a combination thereof are optionally absent,

with the proviso that the peptide does not consist of amino acid residues 1 to 6 of Hep25.

In some embodiments, the peptides of the present invention are not Hep4-7, Hep3-7, Hep1-7, Hep9C7-tBut, Hep9-C7A, Hep9-7CS, (D)Pen, Cyc-2, Cyc-3, Cyc-4, or Pr26.

In some embodiments, the peptides of the present invention contain only one amino acid residue having a thiol capable of forming a disulfide bond.

In some embodiments, the peptides of the present invention contain only two amino acid residues which each have a thiol capable of forming a disulfide bond.

In some embodiments,

-   -   A1 is D-Asp, D-Glu, D-pyroglutamate, D-Gln, D-Asn, bhAsp, Ida,         or N-MeAsp;     -   A2 is D-Thr, D-Ser, D-Val, Tie, Inp, Chg, bhThr, or N-MeThr;     -   A3 is D-His, D-Asn, DArg, Dpa, (D)Dpa, or 2-aminoindan;     -   A4 is D-Phe, D-Leu, D-Ile, D-Trp, Phg, bhPhe, Dpa, Bip, 1Nal,         bhDpa, Amc, PheF5, hPhe, Igl, or cyclohexylalanine;     -   A5 is D-Pro, D-Ser, Oic, bhPro, trans-4-PhPro, cis-4-PhPro,         cis-5-PhPro, Idc;     -   A6 is D-Ile, D-Leu, Phg, Chg, Amc, bhIle, Ach, and MeIle;     -   A7 is D-Cys, D-Ser, D-Ala, Cys(S-tBut), homoC, Pen, (D)Pen,         Dap(AcBr), and Inp;     -   A8 is D-Ile, D-Leu, D-Thr, D-Val, D-Arg, Chg, Dpa, bhIle, Ach,         or MeIle;     -   A9 is D-Phe, D-Leu, D-Ile, PheF5, N-MePhe, benzylamide, bhPhe,         Dpa, Bip, 1Nal, bhDpa, cyclohexylalanine; or     -   A10 is D-Cys, D-Ser, D-Ala;         or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments,

-   -   A1 is Ala, D-Ala, Cys, D-Cys, Phe, D-Phe, Asp or D-Asp linked to         Cys or D-Cys, Phe or D-Phe linked to a PEG molecule linked to         chenodeoxycholate, ursodeoxycholate, or palmitoyl, or Dpa or         (D)Dpa linked to palmitoyl;     -   A2 is Ala, D-Ala, Cys, D-Cys, Pro, D-Pro, Gly, or D-Gly;     -   A3 is Ala, D-Ala, Cys, D-Cys, Dpa, Asp or D-Asp linked to Dpa or         (D)Dpa;     -   A4 is Ala, D-Ala, Pro, or D-Pro;     -   A5 is Ala, D-Ala, Pro, D-Pro, Arg, D-Arg;     -   A6 is Ala, D-Ala, Phe, D-Phe, Arg, D-Arg, Cys, D-Cys;     -   A7 is His, or D-His;     -   A8 is Cys, or D-Cys; or     -   A9 is Phe or D-Phe linked to RA, Asp, D-Asp, Asp or D-Asp linked         to RB, bhPhe linked to RC, or cysteamide, wherein RA is         —CONH₂—CH₂—CH₂—S, -D-Pro linked to Pro-Lys or Pro-Arg, -bhPro         linked to Pro linked to Pro-Lys or Pro-Arg, -D-Pro linked to         bhPro-Lys or bhPro-Arg, wherein RB is         -PEG11-GYIPEAPRDGQAYVRKDGEWVLLSTFL, -(PEG11)-(GPHyp)10, and         wherein RC is -D-Pro linked to Pro-Lys or Pro-Arg, -D-Pro linked         to bhPro-Lys or bhPro-Arg;         or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, A1 is Asp; A2 is Thr; A3 is His; A4 is Phe; A5 is Pro; A6 is Ile; A7 is Ala; A8 is Ile; A9 is Phe; and A10 is Cys in amide form; wherein A1 or A1 to A2 are optionally absent.

In some embodiments, A1 is Asp, A2 is Thr, A3 is His, A4 is Phe, A5 is Pro, A6 is Ile, A7 is Cys or an unnatural thiol amino acid, A8 is Ile, A9 is Phe in amide form, and A10 is absent.

In some embodiments, A1 and A2 are absent, A3 is His, A4 is Phe, A5 is Pro, A6 is Ile, A7 is Cys or an unnatural thiol amino acid, A8 is Ile in amide form, and A9 and A10 are absent.

In some embodiments, A1 and A2 are absent, A3 is His, A4 is Phe, A5 is Pro, A6 is Ile, A7 is Cys or an unnatural thiol amino acid in amide form, and A8 to A10 are absent.

In some embodiments, the peptides are cyclic peptides.

In some embodiments, the peptides are retroinverted such that A1 is the amidated C-terminus and A10 is the N-terminus, and all amino acids are D-amino acids instead of the natural L-amino acids.

In some embodiments, the peptides have an addition at the N-terminus, C-terminus, or both.

In some embodiments, the peptides are selected from the group consisting of: Hep3-8, Hep3-9, Hep1-8, Hep1-9, Hep1-10 C7A, Hep9F4A, Hep9C7-SStBut, (D)C, homoC, Pen, (D)Pen, Cyc-1, Pr10, Pr11, Pr12, riHep7ΔDT, Pr23, Pr24, Pr25, Pr27, Pr28, F4bhPhe, F4Dpa, F4Bip, F4 1Nal, F4bhDpa, F9bhPhe, F9Dpa, F9Bip, F91Nal, F9bhDpa, Pr39, Pr40, Pr41, Pr42, Pr43, Pr44, Pr45, Pr46, Pr13, Pr14, Pr15, Pr16, Pr17, Pr18, Pr19, Pr20, Pr21, Pr22, Pr-1, Pr-2, Pr-3, and Pr-4.

In some embodiments, the peptides exhibit hepcidin activity. In some embodiments, the peptides bind ferroportin, preferably human ferroportin.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides compositions and medicaments which comprise at least one peptide as disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the present invention provides method of manufacturing medicaments for the treatment of diseases of iron metabolism, such as iron overload diseases, which comprise at least one peptide as disclosed herein. Also provided are methods of treating a diseases of iron metabolism in a subject, such as a mammalian subject, preferably a human subject, which comprises administering at least one peptide or composition as disclosed herein to the subject. In some embodiments, the peptide is administered in a therapeutically effective amount.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides methods of binding a ferroportin or inducing ferroportin internalization and degradation which comprises contacting the ferroportin with at least one peptide or composition as disclosed herein.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides kits comprising at least one peptide or composition as disclosed herein packaged together with a reagent, a device, instructional material, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides complexes which comprise at least one peptide as disclosed herein bound to a ferroportin, preferably a human ferroportin, or an antibody, such as an antibody which specifically binds a peptide as disclosed herein, Hep25, or a combination thereof.

Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This invention is further understood by reference to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a graph showing the relative hepcidin activity of alanine substitutions in Hep25.

FIG. 2A is a graph showing the relative hepcidin activities of F4 substitutions in Hep25.

FIG. 2B is a graph showing the relative hepcidin activities of F9 substitutions in Hep25.

FIG. 3A is a graph showing the hepcidin activities of Hep1-9 and Hep1-10 C7A relative to Hep25 (A).

FIG. 3B is a graph showing the hepcidin activities of Hep1-7 and Hep1-8 relative to Hep1-9 or Hep25.

FIG. 3C is a graph showing the hepcidin activities of Hep4-7, Hep3-7, Hep3-8 and Hep3-9 relative to Hep1-9.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the hepcidin activities of C7 modified peptides relative to Hep25.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing in vivo effect (as measured by serum iron levels in mice) of mini-hepcidins Hep1-9, Pr6 and Pr12 compared to Hep25 or control (PBS).The peptides were injected intraperitoneally, 50 μg peptide per mouse

FIG. 6 is a graph showing in vivo effect (as measured by serum iron levels in mice) of mini-hepcidin Pr27 injected intraperitoneally (20 and 200 nmoles). The amount of injected Hep25 was 20 nmoles.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing in vivo effect (as measured by serum iron levels in mice) of mini-hepcidin riHep7ΔDT injected intraperitoneally (20 and 200 nmoles). The amount of injected Hep25 was 20 nmoles.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing in vivo effect (as measured by serum iron levels in mice) of mini-hepcidins Pr27 and Pr28 which were first mixed with liposomes and injected intraperitoneally (20 nmoles). The amount of injected Hep25 was 20 nmoles.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing in vivo effect (as measured by serum iron levels in mice) of mini-hepcidin Pr27 after oral administration by gavage (200 nmoles).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides peptides which are useful in the study and treatment of diseases of iron metabolism.

As used herein, a “disease of iron metabolism” includes diseases where aberrant iron metabolism directly causes the disease, or where iron blood levels are dysregulated causing disease, or where iron dysregulation is a consequence of another disease, or where diseases can be treated by modulating iron levels, and the like. More specifically, a disease of iron metabolism according to this disclosure includes iron overload diseases, iron deficiency disorders, disorders of iron biodistribution, other disorders of iron metabolism and other disorders potentially related to iron metabolism, etc. Diseases of iron metabolism include hemochromatosis, HFE mutation hemochromatosis, ferroportin mutation hemochromatosis, transferrin receptor 2 mutation hemochromatosis, hemojuvelin mutation hemochromatosis, hepcidin mutation hemochromatosis, juvenile hemochromatosis, neonatal hemochromatosis, hepcidin deficiency, transfusional iron overload, thalassemia, thalassemia intermedia, alpha thalassemia, sideroblastic anemia, porphyria, porphyria cutanea tarda, African iron overload, hyperferritinemia, ceruloplasmin deficiency, atransferrinemia, congenital dyserythropoietic anemia, anemia of chronic disease, anemia of inflammation, anemia of infection, hypochromic microcytic anemia, iron-deficiency anemia, iron-refractory iron deficiency anemia, anemia of chronic kidney disease, erythropoietin resistance, iron deficiency of obesity, other anemias, benign or malignant tumors that overproduce hepcidin or induce its overproduction, conditions with hepcidin excess, Friedreich ataxia, gracile syndrome, Hallervorden-Spatz disease, Wilson's disease, pulmonary hemosiderosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, cancer, hepatitis, cirrhosis of liver, pica, chronic renal failure, insulin resistance, diabetes, atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative disorders, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and Alzheimer's disease.

In some cases the diseases and disorders included in the definition of “disease of iron metabolism” are not typically identified as being iron related. For example, hepcidin is highly expressed in the murine pancreas suggesting that diabetes (Type I or Type II), insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and other disorders may be ameliorated by treating underlying iron metabolism disorders. See Ilyin, G. et al. (2003) FEBS Lett. 542 22-26, which is herein incorporated by reference. As such, these diseases are encompassed under the broad definition. Those skilled in the art are readily able to determine whether a given disease is a “disease or iron metabolism” according to the present invention using methods known in the art, including the assays of WO 2004092405, which is herein incorporated by reference, and assays which monitor hepcidin, hemojuvelin, or iron levels and expression, which are known in the art such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,534,764, which is herein incorporated by reference.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the diseases of iron metabolism are iron overload diseases, which include hereditary hemochromatosis, iron-loading anemias, alcoholic liver diseases and chronic hepatitis C.

As used herein, the terms “protein”, “polypeptide” and “peptide” are used interchangeably to refer to two or more amino acids linked together. Except for the abbreviations for the uncommon or unnatural amino acids set forth in Table 2 below, the three-letter and one-letter abbreviations, as used in the art, are used herein to represent amino acid residues. Except when preceded with “D-”, the amino acid is an L-amino acid. Groups or strings of amino acid abbreviations are used to represent peptides. Except when specifically indicated, peptides are indicated with the N-terminus on the left and the sequence is written from the N-terminus to the C-terminus.

The peptides of the present invention may be made using methods known in the art including chemical synthesis, biosynthesis or in vitro synthesis using recombinant DNA methods, and solid phase synthesis. See e.g. Kelly & Winkler (1990) Genetic Engineering Principles and Methods, vol. 12, J. K. Setlow ed., Plenum Press, NY, pp. 1-19; Merrifield (1964) J Amer Chem Soc 85:2149; Houghten (1985) PNAS USA 82:5131-5135; and Stewart & Young (1984) Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis, 2ed. Pierce, Rockford, Ill., which are herein incorporated by reference. The peptides of the present invention may be purified using protein purification techniques known in the art such as reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ion-exchange or immunoaffinity chromatography, filtration or size exclusion, or electrophoresis. See Olsnes, S. and A. Pihl (1973) Biochem. 12(16):3121-3126; and Scopes (1982) Protein Purification, Springer-Verlag, NY, which are herein incorporated by reference. Alternatively, the peptides of the present invention may be made by recombinant DNA techniques known in the art. Thus, polynucleotides that encode the polypeptides of the present invention are contemplated herein. In preferred embodiments, the polynucleotides are isolated. As used herein “isolated polynucleotides” refers to polynucleotides that are in an environment different from that in which the polynucleotide naturally occurs.

In some embodiments, the peptides of the present invention are substantially purified. As used herein, a “substantially purified” compound refers to a compound that is removed from its natural environment and is at least about 60% free, preferably about 75% free, and most preferably about 90% free from other macromolecular components with which the compound is naturally associated.

As used herein, an “isolated” compound refers to a compound which is isolated from its native environment. For example, an isolated peptide is a one which does not have its native amino acids, which correspond to the full length polypeptide, flanking the N-terminus, C-terminus, or both. For example, isolated Hep1-9 refers to an isolated peptide comprising amino acid residues 1-9 of Hep25 which may have non-native amino acids at its N-terminus, C-terminus, or both, but does not have a cysteine amino acid residue following its 9^(th) amino acid residue at the C-terminus. As set forth herein, references to amino acid positions correspond to the amino acid residues of Hep25. For example, reference to amino acid position 9, corresponds to the 9^(th) amino acid residue of Hep25.

The peptides of the present invention bind ferroportin, preferably human ferroportin. Preferred peptides of the present invention specifically bind human ferroportin. As used herein, “specifically binds” refers to a specific binding agent's preferential interaction with a given ligand over other agents in a sample. For example, a specific binding agent that specifically binds a given ligand, binds the given ligand, under suitable conditions, in an amount or a degree that is observable over that of any nonspecific interaction with other components in the sample. Suitable conditions are those that allow interaction between a given specific binding agent and a given ligand. These conditions include pH, temperature, concentration, solvent, time of incubation, and the like, and may differ among given specific binding agent and ligand pairs, but may be readily determined by those skilled in the art.

The peptides of the present invention that mimic the hepcidin activity of Hep25, the bioactive human 25-amino acid form, are herein referred to as “mini-hepcidins”. As used herein, a compound having “hepcidin activity” means that the compound has the ability to lower plasma iron concentrations in subjects (e.g. mice or humans), when administered thereto (e.g. parenterally injected or orally administered), in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. See e.g. as demonstrated in Rivera et al. (2005), Blood 106:2196-9.

In some embodiments, the peptides of the present invention have in vitro activity as assayed by the ability to cause the internalization and degradation of ferroportin in a ferroportin-expressing cell line as taught in Nemeth et al. (2006) Blood 107:328-33. In vitro activity may be measured by the dose-dependent loss of fluorescence of cells engineered to display ferroportin fused to green fluorescent protein as in Nemeth et al. (2006) Blood 107:328-33. Aliquots of cells are incubated for 24 hours with graded concentrations of a reference preparation of Hep25 or a mini-hepcidin. As provided herein, the EC₅₀ values are provided as the concentration of a given compound (e.g. peptide) that elicits 50% of the maximal loss of fluorescence generated by the reference Hep25 preparation. EC₅₀ of Hep25 preparations in this assay range from 5 to 15 nM and preferred mini-hepcidins have EC₅₀ values in in vitro activity assays of about 1,000 nM or less.

Other methods known in the art for calculating the hepcidin activity and in vitro activity of peptides according to the present invention may be used. For example, the in vitro activity of compounds may be measured by their ability to internalize cellular ferroportin, which is determined by immunohistochemistry or flow cytometry using antibodies which recognizes extracellular epitopes of ferroportin. Alternatively, the in vitro activity of compounds may be measured by their dose-dependent ability to inhibit the efflux of iron from ferroportin-expressing cells that are preloaded with radioisotopes or stable isotopes of iron, as in Nemeth et al. (2006) Blood 107:328-33.

Design of Mini-Hepcidins

Previous studies indicate that the N-terminal segment of Hep25 is important for its hepcidin activity and is likely to form the contact interface with ferroportin. However, the importance of each N-terminal amino acid to hepcidin activity was unknown. Therefore, alanine-scanning mutagenesis was performed on residues 1-6 of Hep25 to determine the contribution of each N-terminal amino acid to hepcidin activity. As shown in FIG. 1, the T2A substitution did not substantially impact hepcidin activity. Phenylalanine substitutions (F4A or F9A) caused the largest decrease, more than about 70%, in hepcidin activity. The remaining alanine substitutions had detectable decreases in hepcidin activity which were not as significant as the F4A or F9A substitutions.

To determine whether the highly conserved and apparently structurally important F4 phenylalanine is important for hepcidin activity, the F4 amino acid of Hep25 was systematically substituted with other amino acids. As shown in FIG. 2A, making the side-chain more polar (F4Y) led to substantial loss of hepcidin activity as did the substitution with D-phenylalanine (f) or charged amino acids (D, K and Y). However, hepcidin activity was maintained when the F4 residue was substituted with nonaromatic cyclohexylalanine, thereby indicating that a bulky hydrophobic residue is sufficient for activity.

To determine whether the highly conserved and apparently structurally important F9 phenylalanine is important for hepcidin activity, the F9 amino acid of Hep25 was substituted with other amino acids. As shown in FIG. 2B, hepcidin activity not only decreased when F9 was substituted with alanine, but also when it was substituted with nonaromatic cyclohexylalanine, thereby indicating that an aromatic residue may be important for activity.

Mutational studies indicate that C326, the cysteine residue at position 326 of human ferroportin, is the critical residue involved in binding hepcidin. Thus, various N-terminal fragments of Hep25 containing a thiol, i.e. Hep4-7, Hep3-7, Hep3-8, Hep3-9, Hep1-7, Hep1-8, Hep1-9, and Hep 1-10 C7A, were chemically synthesized, refolded and their activities relative to Hep25 were assayed using flow-cytometric quantitation of the ferroportin-GFP degradation, iron efflux estimation based on measurements of cellular ferritin, and radioisotopic iron efflux studies. The sequences and EC₅₀'s of these N-terminal fragments are shown in Table 1.

Remarkably and unexpectedly, as shown in FIG. 3, Hep1-9 and Hep 1-10 C7A were found to be quite active in the flow-cytometry assay of ferroportin-GFP internalization. On a mass basis, Hep1-9 and Hep1-10 C7A were only about 4-times less potent and on a molar basis, about 10-times less potent than Hep25. Thus, Hep1-9 and Hep1-10 C7A were used as the basis to construct other peptides having hepcidin activity.

To determine the importance of the cysteine thiol on the hepcidin activity of Hep1-9, the C7 residue of Hep1-9 was substituted with amino acids that have a similar shape but cannot form disulfide bonds to give Hep9-C7S (serine substitution) and Hep9C7-tBut (t-butyl-blocked cysteine) or with a cysteine modified by disulfide coupled tertiary butyl, which can participate in disulfide exchange with HS-t-butyl as the leaving group, to give Hep9C7-SStBut. As shown in FIG. 4, amino acid substitutions that ablated the potential for disulfide formation or exchange caused a complete loss of hepcidin activity, thereby indicating that disulfide formation is required for activity. Other C7 amino acid substitutions and their resulting hepcidin activities are shown in Table 1.

Other peptides based on Hep1-9 and Hep1-10 C7A were constructed to be disulfide cyclized, have unnatural amino acid substitutions, be retroinverted, have modified F4 and F9 residues, or have a positive charge. The C-terminal amino acid was the amidated form. The modifications and the resulting hepcidin activities are shown in Table 1.

As shown in Table 1, with the exception of Pr40 and Pr41, mini-hepcidins which exhibit EC₅₀'s of about 1000 nM or less contain at least 6 contiguous amino acid residues which correspond to residues 3-8 of Hep25 (see Hep3-8). Thus, in some embodiments, preferred mini-hepcidins have at least 6 contiguous amino acid residues that correspond to 6 contiguous amino acid residues of Hep1-9, preferably residues 3-8. The amino acid residues may be unnatural or uncommon amino acids, L- or D-amino acid residues, modified residues, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the mini-hepcidins of the present invention have at least one amino acid substitution, a modification, or an addition. Examples of amino acid substitutions include substituting an L-amino acid residue for its corresponding D-amino acid residue, substituting a Cys for homoC, Pen, (D)Pen, Inp, or the like, substituting Phe for bhPhe, Dpa, bhDpa, Bip, 1Nal, and the like. The names and the structures of the substituting residues are exemplified in Table 2. Other suitable substitutions are exemplified in Table 1. Examples of a modification include modifying one or more amino acid residues such that the peptide forms a cyclic structure, retroinversion, and modifying a residue to be capable of forming a disulfide bond. Examples of an addition include adding at least one amino acid residue or at least one compound to either the N-terminus, the C-terminus, or both such as that exemplified in Table 1.

As shown in Table 1, a majority of the mini-hepcidins which exhibit EC₅₀'s of about 100 nM or less contain at least one Dpa or bhDPA amino acid substitution. Thus, in some embodiments, the mini-hepcidins of the present invention have at least one Dpa or bhDPA amino acid substitution.

In view of the alanine substitution data of FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the mini-hepcidins of the present invention may have an Ala at amino acid positions other than amino acid position 4 and 9 as long as there is an available thiol for forming a disulfide bond at amino acid position 7. See Hep9F4A and Hep9C-SStBut in Table 1.

In view of the position 4 amino acid substitution data of FIG. 2 and Table 1, the mini-hepcidins of the present invention may have an amino acid substitution at position 4 which does not result in a substantial change of its charge or polarity as compared to that of Hep25, Hep1-9 or Hep 1-10 C7A. Preferred amino acid substitutions at position 4 of Hep1-9 or Hep1-10 C7A include Phe, D-Phe, bhPhe, Dpa, bhDpa, Bip, 1Nal, or the like.

The mini-hepcidins according to the present invention have the following structural formula

A1-A2-A3-A4-A5-A6-A7-A8-A9-A10

wherein

-   -   A1 is Asp, Glu, pyroglutamate, Gln, Asn, or an unnatural amino         acid commonly used as a substitute thereof;     -   A2 is Thr, Ser, Val, Ala, or an unnatural amino acid commonly         used as a substitute thereof;     -   A3 is His, Asn, Arg, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as         a substitute thereof;     -   A4 is Phe, Leu, Ile, Trp, Tyr, or an unnatural amino acid         commonly used as a substitute thereof which includes         cyclohexylalanine;     -   A5 is Pro, Ser, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as a         substitute thereof;     -   A6 is Ile, Leu, Val, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as         a substitute thereof;     -   A7 is Cys, Ser, Ala, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as         a substitute thereof which includes S-tertiary butyl-cysteine;     -   A8 is Ile, Leu, Thr, Val, Arg, or an unnatural amino acid         commonly used as a substitute thereof;     -   A9 is Phe, Leu, Ile, Tyr, or an unnatural amino acid commonly         used as a substitute thereof which includes cyclohexylalanine;         and     -   A10 is Cys, Ser, Ala, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used         as a substitute thereof;

wherein the carboxy-terminal amino acid is in amide or carboxy-form;

wherein a Cys or another sulfhydryl amino acid is present as one of the amino acids in the sequence; and

wherein A1, A2, A3, A1 to A2, A1 to A3, A10, A9 to A10, A8 to A10, or a combination thereof are optionally absent.

In some embodiments, A1 is Asp; A2 is Thr; A3 is His; A4 is Phe; A5 is Pro; A6 is Ile; A7 is Ala; A8 is Ile; A9 is Phe; and A10 is Cys in amide form; wherein A1 or A1 to A2 are optionally absent.

In some embodiments, A1 is Asp, A2 is Thr, A3 is His, A4 is Phe, A5 is Pro, A6 is Ile, A7 is Cys or an unnatural thiol amino acid, A8 is Ile, A9 is Phe in amide form, and A10 is absent.

In some embodiments, A1 and A2 are absent, A3 is His, A4 is Phe, A5 is Pro, A6 is Ile, A7 is Cys or an unnatural thiol amino acid, A8 is Ile in amide form, and A9 and A10 are absent.

In some embodiments, A1 and A2 are absent, A3 is His, A4 is Phe, A5 is Pro, A6 is Ile, A7 is Cys or an unnatural thiol amino acid in amide form, and A8 to A10 are absent.

In some embodiments, the unnatural amino acid of A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10, or a combination thereof is the corresponding D-amino acid. For example, for A1, the unnatural amino acid may be D-Asp, D-Glu, D-Gln, D-Asn, or the like.

In some embodiments, the unnatural amino acid for:

-   -   A1 is D-Asp, D-Glu, D-pyroglutamate, D-Gln, D-Asn, bhAsp, Ida,         or N-MeAsp;     -   A2 is D-Thr, D-Ser, D-Val, Tle, Inp, Chg, bhThr, or N-MeThr;     -   A3 is D-His, D-Asn, DArg, Dpa, (D)Dpa, or 2-aminoindan;     -   A4 is D-Phe, D-Leu, D-Ile, D-Trp, Phg, bhPhe, Dpa, Bip, 1Nal,         bhDpa, Amc, PheF5, hPhe, Igl, or cyclohexylalanine;     -   A5 is D-Pro, D-Ser, Oic, bhPro, trans-4-PhPro, cis-4-PhPro,         cis-5-PhPro, Idc;     -   A6 is D-Ile, D-Leu, Phg, Chg, Amc, bhIle, Ach, and MeIle;     -   A7 is D-Cys, D-Ser, D-Ala, Cys(S-tBut), homoC, Pen, (D)Pen,         Dap(AcBr), and Inp;     -   A8 is D-Ile, D-Leu, D-Thr, D-Val, D-Arg, Chg, Dpa, bhIle, Ach,         or MeIle;     -   A9 is D-Phe, D-Leu, D-Ile, PheF5, N-MePhe, benzylamide, bhPhe,         Dpa, Bip, 1Nal, bhDpa, cyclohexylalanine; and     -   A10 is D-Cys, D-Ser, D-Ala.

In some embodiments, the amino acid substitution (and addition, if indicated) for:

-   -   A1 is Ala, D-Ala, Cys, D-Cys, Phe, D-Phe, Asp or D-Asp linked to         Cys or D-Cys, Phe or D-Phe linked to a PEG molecule linked to         chenodeoxycholate, ursodeoxycholate, or palmitoyl, or Dpa or         (D)Dpa linked to palmitoyl;     -   A2 is Ala, D-Ala, Cys, D-Cys, Pro, D-Pro, Gly, or D-Gly;     -   A3 is Ala, D-Ala, Cys, D-Cys, Dpa, Asp or D-Asp linked to Dpa or         (D)Dpa;     -   A4 is Ala, D-Ala, Pro, or D-Pro;     -   A5 is Ala, D-Ala, Pro, D-Pro, Arg, D-Arg;     -   A6 is Ala, D-Ala, Phe, D-Phe, Arg, D-Arg, Cys, D-Cys;     -   A7 is His, or D-His;     -   A8 is Cys, or D-Cys; and     -   A9 is Phe or D-Phe linked to RA, Asp, D-Asp, Asp or D-Asp linked         to RB, bhPhe linked to RC, or cysteamide, wherein RA is         —CONH₂—CH₂—CH₂—S, -D-Pro linked to Pro-Lys or Pro-Arg, -bhPro         linked to Pro linked to Pro-Lys or Pro-Arg, -D-Pro linked to         bhPro-Lys or bhPro-Arg, wherein RB is         -PEG11-GYIPEAPRDGQAYVRKDGEWVLLSTFL, -(PEG11)-(GPHyp)10, and         wherein RC is -D-Pro linked to Pro-Lys or Pro-Arg, -D-Pro linked         to bhPro-Lys or bhPro-Arg.

In some embodiments, the mini-hepcidin is a 10-mer sequence wherein A7 is Ala and A10 is Cys.

In some embodiments, the mini-hepcidin forms a cyclic structure by a disulfide bond.

In some embodiments, the mini-hepcidin is a retroinverted peptide such that A1 is the C-terminus and A10 is the N-terminus and the amino acid residues are D-amino acids. In some embodiments, the retroinverted peptide has at least one addition at the N-terminus, C-terminus, or both. In some embodiments, the retroinverted peptide contains at least one L-amino acid.

In some embodiments, the mini-hepcidin has an amino acid substitution at position 4, position 9, or both. In some embodiments, the amino acid substituent is Phg, Phe, D-Phe, bhPhe, Dpa, Bip, 1Nal, Dpa, bhDpa, Amc, or cysteamide.

In some embodiments, the mini-hepcidin has an amino acid substitution at position 7. In some embodiments, the amino acid substituent is Cys(S-tBut), Ala, D-Ala, Ser, D-Ser, homoC, Pen, (D)Pen, His, D-His, or Inp.

Examples of some preferred mini-hepcidins according to the present invention are provided in Table 1.

TABLE 1 EC₅₀ Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (nM) Hep25      10 DTHFPICIFCCGCCHRSKCGMCCKT (SEQ ID NO: 1) Hep10wt D T H F P I C I F C (SEQ ID NO: 2) Length Hep4 (Hep4-7) — — — F P I C — — — >10,000 (SEQ ID NO: 3) Hep5 (Hep3-7) — — H F P I C — — — >10,000 (SEQ ID NO: 4) Hep6 (Hep3-8) — — H F P I C I — —    1000 (SEQ ID NO: 5) Hep7ΔDT (Hep3-9) — — H F P I C I F —     700 (SEQ ID NO: 6) Hep7 (Hep1-7) D T H F P I C — — — >10,000 (SEQ ID NO: 7) Hep8 (Hep1-8) D T H F P I C I — —    2000 (SEQ ID NO: 8) Hep9 (Hep1-9) D T H F P I C I F —      76 (SEQ ID NO: 9) Hep10 (Hep1-10 D T H F P I A I F C     100 C7A) (SEQ ID NO: 10) Thiol Modified Hep9F4A D T H A P I C I F —   >3000 (SEQ ID NO: 11) Hep9C7-SStBut D T H A P I CS-S-tBut I F —     700 Hep9C7-tBut D T H A P I C-tBut I F — >10,000 Hep9-C7A D T H F P I A I F — >10,000 (SEQ ID NO: 12) Hep9-C7S D T H F P I S I F — >10,000 (SEQ ID NO: 13) (D)C D T H F P I C I F —    1000 homoC D T H F P I homoC I F —     900 Pen D T H F P I Pen I F —     700 (D)Pen D T H F P I (D)Pen I F —    3000 Dap(AcBr) D T H F P I Dap(AcBr) I F —  >10000 Disulfide  Cyclized Cyc-1 C-D T H F P I C I F —     300 (SEQ ID NO: 14) Cyc-4 D T H F P I C I F-R1 —  >10000 Cyc-2 — C H F P I C I F —  >10000 (SEQ ID NO: 15) Cyc-3 — — H F P I C I F-R1 —  >10000 Unnatural AA's Pr10 D Tle H Phg Oic Chg C Chg F —   >3000 Pr11 D Tle H P Oic Chg C Chg F —   >3000 Retroinverted Pr12 F I C I P F H T D —     900* riHep7ΔDT F I C I P F H — — —     150* Modified Retroinverted Pr23 R2-F I C I P F H T D —     100 Pr24 R3-F I C I P F H T D —    1000* Pr25 F I C I P F H T D-R6 —     600 Pr26 F I C I P F H T D-R7 — >10,000 Pr27 R4-F I C I P F H T D —      20* Pr28 R5-F I C I P F H T D —    3000 Modified  F4 and F9 F4bhPhe D T H bhPhe  P I C I F —     700 F4Dpa D T H Dpa P I C I F —      30 F4Bip D T H Bip P I C I F —     150 F4 1Nal D T H 1Nal P I C I F —     110 F4bhDpa D T H bhDpa P I C I F —      80 F9bhPhe D T H F P I C I bhPhe —     150 F9Dpa D T H F P I C I Dpa —      70 F9Bip D T H F P I C I Bip —     150 F91Nal D T H F P I C I 1Nal —     200 F9bhDpa D T H F P I C I bhDpa —     100 Pr39 D T H Dpa P I C I Dpa —      35 Pr40 D — Dpa — P I C I F —      70 Pr41 D — Dpa — P I C I Dpa —     300 Pr42 D T H Dpa P R C R Dpa —      30 Pr43 D T H Dpa P R C R Dpa —     200 Pr44 D T H Dpa Oic I C I F —      30 Pr45 D T H Dpa Oic I C I Dpa —     150 Pr46 D T H Dpa P C C C Dpa —      80 Positive Charge Pr13 D T H F P I C I F-R8 —     100 Pr14 D T H F P I C I F-R9 —      90 Pr15 D T H F P I C I F-R10 —     150 Pr16 D T H F P I C I F-R11 —      50 Pr17 D T H F P I C I F-R12 —     300 Pr18 D T H F P I C I F-R13 —    1000 Pr19 D T H F P I C I bhPhe-R8 —     700 Pr20 D T H F P I C I bhPhe-R9 —     200 Pr21 D T H F P I C I bhPhe-R12 —     500 Pr22 D T H F P I C I bhPhe-R13 —     600 Pr-1 C Inp (D)Dpa Amc R Amc Inp Dpa Cysteamide** —    1500 Pr-2 C P (D)Dpa Amc R Amc Inp Dpa Cysteamide** —    2000 Pr-3 C P (D)Dpa Amc R Amc Inp Dpa Cysteamide** —    1000 Pr-4 C G (D)Dpa Amc R Amc Inp Dpa Cysteamide** —    2000 R1 = —CONH₂—CH₂—CH₂—S R2 = Chenodeoxycholate-(PEG11)- R3 = Ursodeoxycholate-(PEG11)- R4 = Palmitoy1-(PEG11)- R5 = 2(PalmitoyI)-Dap(PEG11)-, wherein “Dap” = diaminopropionic acid R6 = -PEG11-GYIPEAPRDGQAYVRKDGEWVLLSTFL R7 = -(PEG11)-(GPHyp)10, “GPHyp” = Gly-Pro-hydroxyproline R8 = -PPK R9 = -PPR R10 = -bhProPK R11 = -bhProPR R12 = -PbhProK R13 = -PbhProR Underlined residues = D amino acids “—” indicates a covalent bond, e.g. point of attachment to the given peptide Double underlined = residues connected by a disulfide link to form a cyclized structure *active in vivo **oxidized The PEG compound may be PEG11, i.e. O-(2-aminoethyl)-O′-(2-carboxyethyl)-undecaethyleneglycol

TABLE 2 Uncommon or Unnatural Amino Acids

In some embodiments, one or more peptides as described herein, are provided in the form of a composition which comprises a carrier suitable for its intended purpose. The compositions may also include one or more additional ingredients suitable for its intended purpose. For example, for assays, the compositions may comprise liposomes, niclosamide, SL220 solubilization agent (NOF, Japan), cremophor EL (Sigma), ethanol, and DMSO. For treatment of an iron overload disease, the compositions may comprise different absorption enhancers and protease inhibitors, solid microparticles or nanoparticles for peptide encapsulation (such as chitosan and hydrogels), macromolecular conjugation, lipidization and other chemical modification.

The present invention also provides kits comprising one or more peptides and/or compositions of the present invention packaged together with reagents, devices, instructional material, or a combination thereof. For example, the kits may include reagents used for conducting assays, drugs and compositions for diagnosing, treating, or monitoring disorders of iron metabolism, devices for obtaining samples to be assayed, devices for mixing reagents and conducting assays, and the like.

As the peptides of the present invention exhibit hepcidin activity, i.e. act as agonists of ferroportin degradation, they may be used to treat iron overload diseases. For example, one or more peptides (preferably at least one mini-hepcidin) according to the present invention may be administered to a subject to ameliorate the symptoms and/or pathology associated with iron overload in iron-loading anemias (especially β-thalassemias) where phlebotomy is contraindicated and iron chelators are the mainstay of treatment but are often poorly tolerated. One or more peptides, preferably at least one mini-hepcidin, according to the present invention may be used to treat hereditary hemochromatosis, especially in subjects who do not tolerate maintenance phlebotomy. One or more peptides, preferably at least one mini-hepcidin, according to the present invention may be used to treat acute iron toxicity.

Thus, one or more peptides of the present invention may be administered to a subject, preferably a mammal such as a human. In some embodiments, the peptides are administered in a form of a pharmaceutical composition. In some embodiments, the peptides are administered in a therapeutically effective amount. As used herein, a “therapeutically effective amount” is an amount which ameliorates the symptoms and/or pathology of a given disease of iron metabolism as compared to a control such as a placebo.

A therapeutically effective amount may be readily determined by standard methods known in the art. The dosages to be administered can be determined by one of ordinary skill in the art depending on the clinical severity of the disease, the age and weight of the subject, or the exposure of the subject to iron. Preferred effective amounts of the compounds of the invention ranges from about 0.01 to about 10 mg/kg body weight, preferably about 0.1 to about 3 mg/kg body weight, and more preferably about 0.5 to about 2 mg/kg body weight for parenteral formulations. Preferred effective amounts for oral administration would be up to about 10-fold higher. Moreover, treatment of a subject with a peptide or composition of the present invention can include a single treatment or, preferably, can include a series of treatments. It will be appreciated that the actual dosages will vary according to the particular peptide or composition, the particular formulation, the mode of administration, and the particular site, host, and disease being treated. It will also be appreciated that the effective dosage used for treatment may increase or decrease over the course of a particular treatment. Optimal dosages for a given set of conditions may be ascertained by those skilled in the art using conventional dosage-determination tests in view of the experimental data for a given peptide or composition. Changes in dosage may result and become apparent by standard diagnostic assays known in the art. In some conditions chronic administration may be required.

The pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may be prepared in a unit-dosage form appropriate for the desired mode of administration. The compositions of the present invention may be administered for therapy by any suitable route including oral, rectal, nasal, topical (including buccal and sublingual), vaginal and parenteral (including subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous and intradermal). It will be appreciated that the preferred route will vary with the condition and age of the recipient, the nature of the condition to be treated, and the chosen peptide and composition.

Pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention comprise a therapeutically effective amount of at least one peptide as disclosed herein, and an inert, pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent. As used herein the language “pharmaceutically acceptable carrier” is intended to include any and all solvents, dispersion media, coatings, antibacterial and antifungal agents, isotonic and absorption delaying agents, and the like, compatible with pharmaceutical administration and known in the art. Except insofar as any conventional media or agent is incompatible with the active compound, use thereof in the compositions is contemplated.

Supplementary active compounds can also be incorporated into the compositions. Supplementary active compounds include niclosamide, liposomes, SL220 solubilization agent (NOF, Japan), cremophor EL (Sigma), ethanol, and DMSO.

Toxicity and therapeutic efficacy of the peptides and compositions of the present invention can be determined by standard pharmaceutical procedures in cell cultures or experimental animals, e.g., for determining the LD₅₀ (the dose lethal to 50% of the population) and the ED₅₀ (the dose therapeutically effective in 50% of the population). The dose ratio between toxic and therapeutic effects is the therapeutic index and it can be expressed as the ratio LD₅₀/ED₅₀. Peptides which exhibit large therapeutic indices are preferred. While peptides that exhibit toxic side effects may be used, care should be taken to design a delivery system that targets such peptides to the site of affected tissue in order to minimize potential damage to uninfected cells and, thereby, reduce side effects.

The data obtained from the cell culture assays and animal studies can be used in formulating a range of dosage for use in humans. The dosage of peptides of the present invention lies preferably within a range of circulating concentrations that include the ED₅₀ with little or no toxicity. The dosage may vary within this range depending upon the dosage form employed and the route of administration utilized. For any peptide used in the method of the invention, the therapeutically effective dose can be estimated initially from cell culture assays. A dose may be formulated in animal models to achieve a circulating plasma concentration range that includes the IC₅₀ (i.e., the concentration of the test compound which achieves a half-maximal inhibition of symptoms) as determined in cell culture. Such information can be used to more accurately determine useful doses in humans. Levels in plasma may be measured, for example, by high performance liquid chromatography.

Peptide Synthesis

Hep25 was synthesized at the UCLA Peptide Synthesis Core Facility using solid phase 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (fmoc) chemistry. Specifically, the peptides were synthesized on an ABI 431A peptide synthesizer (PE Biosystems, Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif.) using fmoc amino acids, Wang resin (AnaSpec, San Jose, Calif.), and double coupling for all residues. After cleavage, 30 mg crude peptides was reduced with 1000-fold molar excess of dithiothreitol (DTT) in 0.5 M Tris buffer (pH 8.2), 6 M guanidine hydrochloride, and 20 mM EDTA at 52° C. for 2 hours. Fresh DTT (500-molar excess) was added and incubated for an additional hour at 52° C. The reduced peptides were purified on the 10-g C18 SEP-PAK cartridges (Waters, Milford, Mass.) equilibrated in 0.1% TFA and eluted with 50% acetonitrile. The eluates were lyophilized and resuspended in 0.1% acetic acid. The reduced peptides were further purified by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) on VYDAC C18 column (218TP510; Waters) equilibrated with 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid and eluted with an acetonitrile gradient. The eluates were lyophilized, dissolved in 0.1% acetic acid, 20% DMSO, to the approximate concentration of 0.1 mg/ml (pH 8), and air oxidized by stirring for 18 hours at room temperature. The refolded peptides were also purified sequentially on the 10-g C18 SEP-PAK cartridge and on the RP-HPLC VYDAC C18 column using an acetonitrile gradient. The eluates were lyophilized and resuspended in 0.016% HCl. The conformation of refolded synthetic hepcidin derivatives was verified by electrophoresis in 12.5% acid-urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), and peptide masses were determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS; UCLA Mass Spectrometry Facility, Los Angeles, Calif).

The other peptides set forth in Table 1 were synthesized by the solid phase method using either Symphony® automated peptide synthesizer (Protein Technologies Inc., Tucson, Ariz.) or CEM Liberty automatic microwave peptide synthesizer (CEM Corporation Inc., Matthews, N.C.), applying 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc) chemistry (Fields & Noble (1990) Int J Pept Protein Res 35:161-214) and commercially available amino acid derivatives and reagents (EMD Biosciences, San Diego, Calif. and Chem-Impex International, Inc., Wood Dale, Ill.). Peptides were cleaved from resin using modified reagent K (TFA 94% (v/v); phenol, 2% (w/v); water, 2% (v/v); TIS, 2% (v/v); 2 hours) and precipitated by addition of ice-cold diethyl ether. Subsequently, peptides were purified by preparative reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) to >95% homogeneity and their purity evaluated by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization spectrometry (MALDI-MS, UCLA Mass Spectrometry Facility, Los Angeles, Calif.) as well as analytical RP-HPLC employing Varian ProStar 210 HPLC system equipped with ProStar 325 Dual Wavelength UV-Vis detector with the wavelengths set at 220 nm and 280 nm (Varian Inc., Palo Alto, Calif.). Mobile phases consisted of solvent A, 0.1% TFA in water, and solvent B, 0.1% TFA in acetonitrile. Analyses of peptides were performed with a reversed-phase C18 column (Vydac 218TP54, 4.6×250 mm, Grace, Deerfield, Ill.) applying linear gradient of solvent B from 0 to 100% over 100 min (flow rate: 1 ml/min).

Other methods known in the art may be used to synthesize or obtain the peptides according to the present invention. All peptides were synthesized as carboxyamides (—CONH₂) which creates a charge-neutral end more similar to a peptide bond than the negatively charged —COOH end. Nevertheless, peptides having the negatively charged —COOH end are contemplated herein.

Activity Assays

FLOW CYTOMETRY. The activity of peptides of the present invention was measured by flow cytometry as previously described. See Nemeth et al. (2006) Blood 107:328-333, which is herein incorporated by reference. ECR293/Fpn-GFP, a cell line stably transfected with a ponasterone-inducible ferroportin construct tagged at the C-terminus with green fluorescent protein was used. See Nemeth et al. (2004) Science 306:2090-2093, which is herein incorporated by reference. Briefly, the cells were plated on poly-D-lysine coated plates in the presence of 20 μM FAC, with or without 10 μM ponasterone. After 24 hours, ponasterone was washed off, and cells were treated with peptides for 24 hours. Cells were then trypsinized and resuspended at 1×10⁶ cells/ml, and the intensity of green fluorescence was analyzed by flow cytometry. Flow cytometry was performed on FACSCAN (fluorescence activated cell scanner) Analytic Flow Cytometer (Becton Dickinson, San Jose, Calif.) with CELLQUEST version 3.3 software (Becton Dickinson). Cells not induced with ponasterone to express Fpn-GFP were used to establish a gate to exclude background fluorescence. Cells induced with ponasterone, but not treated with any peptides, were used as the positive control. Each peptide was tested over the range of concentrations (0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, 1, 3 and 10 μM). Each peptide treatment was repeated independently 3 to 6 times. For each concentration of peptide, the results were expressed as a fraction of the maximal activity (F_(Hep25)) of Hep25 (in the dose range 0.01-10 μM), according to the formula 1—((F_(x)-F_(Hep25))/(F_(untreated)-F_(Hep25))), where F was the mean of the gated green fluorescence and x was the peptide. The IEC₅₀ concentrations are set forth in the Table 1.

FERRITIN ASSAY. Cells treated with peptides having hepcidin activity will retain iron and contain higher amounts of ferritin. Thus, following ferritin assay may be used to identify mini-hepcidins according to the present invention. Briefly, HEK293-Fpn cells are incubated with 20 μM FAC with or without 10 μM ponasterone. After 24 hours, ponasterone is washed off, and hepcidin derivatives are added for 24 hours in the presence of 20 μM FAC. Cellular protein is extracted with 150 mM NaCl, 10 mM EDTA, 10 mM Tris (pH 7.4), 1% Triton X-100, and a protease inhibitor cocktail (Sigma-Aldrich, St Louis, Mo.). Ferritin levels are determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay (Ramco Laboratories, Stafford, Tex., or Biotech Diagnostic, Laguna Niguel, Calif.) according to the manufacturer's instructions and are normalized for the total protein concentration in each sample, as determined by the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay (Pierce, Rockford, Ill.).

IN VIVO ASSAYS. Serum iron assay. The decrease in serum iron after peptide administration is the principal measure of hepcidin activity. Thus, as provided herein, the hepcidin activity of selected peptides of the present invention were assayed in vivo by measuring serum iron in test subjects. Briefly, C57/B16J mice were maintained on NIH31 rodent diet (333 parts per million (ppm) iron; Harlan Teklad, Indianapolis, Ind.). Two weeks before the experiment, the mice were switched to a diet containing about 2-4 ppm iron (Harlan Teklad, Indianapolis, Ind.) in order to suppress endogenous hepcidin. Peptide stocks were diluted to desired concentrations in sterile phosphate buffered saline (PBS) or other diluents as described next. Mice were subjected to the following treatments: (a) Injected intraperitoneally either with 100 μl PBS (control) or with 50 μg peptide in 100 μl PBS; (b) Injected with 100 μl of peptide (or PBS) mixed with 500 μg empty liposomes COATSOME EL series (NOF, Tokyo, Japan) (prepared as per manufacturer's recommendation); (c) Injected with 100 μl peptides (or PBS) solubilized with SL220 solubilization agent (NOF, Tokyo, Japan); (d) Gavaged with 250 μl of peptide (or PBS) in 1× solvent (Cremophor EL (Sigma)/ethanol/PBS; (12.5:12.5:75)). Mice were sacrificed 4 hours later, blood was collected by cardiac puncture, and serum was separated using MICROTAINER tubes (Becton Dickinson, Franklin Lakes, N.J.). Serum iron was determined by using a colorimetric assay (Diagnostic Chemicals, Oxford, Conn.), which was modified for the microplate format so that 10 μl serum was used per measurement. The results were expressed as the percentage of decrease in serum iron when compared with the average value of serum iron levels in PBS-treated mice.

As shown in FIG. 5, intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of 50 μg Pr12 per mouse in PBS caused a significant decrease in serum iron after 4 hours, when compared to i.p. administration of PBS. The serum iron decrease was similar to that caused by i.p. injection of 50 μg of Hep25. Injection (i.p.) of Hep9 did not result in a serum iron decrease. Pr12 is a retroinverted form of Hep9, and is resistant to proteolysis because of the retroinverted structure. The experiment indicates that increased proteolytic resistance improves the activity of mini-hepcidins.

As shown in FIG. 6, i.p. administration of 200 nmoles of riHep7ΔDT in PBS resulted in serum iron concentrations significantly lower than those achieved after injection of PBS, and also lower than i.p. injection of 20 nmoles of Hep25. Administration of 20 nmoles of riHep7ΔDT slightly but not significantly reduced serum iron concentrations. The experiment indicates that after i.p. injection peptides as small as 7 amino acids are able to display activity comparable to Hep25.

As shown in FIG. 7, i.p. administration of 20 nmoles Pr27 in PBS caused a serum iron decrease comparable to that caused by i.p. administration of 20 nmoles Hep25. This indicated that mini-hepcidin can achieve similar potency to Hep25 in vivo. Higher concentration of Pr27 (200 nmoles) caused even greater decrease in serum iron concentrations.

As shown in FIG. 8, i.p. administration of 20 nmoles Pr27 in liposomal solution also caused a serum iron decrease similar to that caused by i.p. administration of 20 nmoles Hep25. Administration of liposomal solution by itself did not affect serum iron levels. The liposomal solution was prepared by mixing 100 μl of PBS with 500 μg empty liposomes COATSOME EL series (NOF, Tokyo, Japan) (prepared as per manufacturer's recommendation). Mini-hepcidin Pr28 dissolved in liposomal solution, however, showed lesser ability to decrease serum iron than Pr27. The experiment indicates that suspension of peptides in liposomes does not affect their activity. Thus, liposomes may be useful for oral administration of peptides according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 9, oral administration of Pr27 200 nmoles by gavage in a cremophore EL solution caused a decrease in serum iron in mice as compared to oral administration of PBS in the same formulation. Cremophor EL increases solubility of chemicals, and is frequently used excipient or additive in drugs. Cremophor EL solution was prepared by mixing Cremophor EL (Sigma), ethanol and PBS in a ratio 12.5:12.5:75. 250 μl of the solution was administered by gavage to mice.

Thus, the present invention may be used to decrease serum iron in subjects. A preferred mini-hepcidin according to the present invention is a retroinverted peptide which comprises a PEG molecule, such as PEG11, linked to its N-terminal amino acid. In some embodiments, the PEG molecule is linked to palmitoyl group or diaminopropionic acid linked to one or more palmitoyl groups.

In addition to assaying the effect on serum iron content, other in vivo assays known in the art may be conducted to identify mini-hepcidins according to the present invention and/or determine the therapeutically effective amount of a given peptide or mini-hepcidin according to the present invention. Examples of such assays include the following:

Tissue iron assay. In addition to or instead of the serum iron assay above, tissue iron distribution can be determined by enhanced Perl's stain of liver and spleen sections obtained from the treated mice. Briefly, the tissue sections are fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde/PBS, incubated in Perl's solution (1:1, 2% HCl and 2% potassium ferrocyanide) and diaminobenzidine in 0.015% hydrogen peroxide. Tissue non-heme iron may be quantitated using the micromethod of Rebouche et al. See Rebouche et al., J Biochem Biophys Methods. 2004 Mar. 31; 58(3):239-51.; Pak et al. Blood. 2006 Dec. 1; 108(12):3730-5. 100 mg pieces of liver and spleen are homogenized and acid is added to release non-heme bound iron which is detected by colorimetric reaction using ferrozine and compared to controls. Treatment with mini-hepcidins would be expected to cause redistribution of iron from other tissues to the spleen. Over weeks to months, the administration of mini-hepcidins would be expected to decrease tissue iron content in all tissues because of diminished dietary iron absorption.

Hematology assays. Hematology assays may be used to identify mini-hepcidins according to the present invention and/or determine the therapeutically effective amount of a given peptide or mini-hepcidin according to the present invention. Briefly, blood from treated subjects is collected into heparin-containing tubes. Hemoglobin, RBC, MCV, EPO, white cell parameters, reticulocyte counts, and reticulocyte Hgb content are determined using methods known in the art and compared to controls. Treatment with mini-hepcidins would be expected to cause a decrease in MCV and diminish the Hgb content of reticulocytes. Administration of mini-hepcidins in excessive amounts would be expected to decrease Hgb.

IRON EXPORT ASSAYS. Iron (⁵⁵Fe) export assays known in the art using primary hepatocytes and macrophages may be used to identify mini-hepcidins according to the present invention and/or determine the therapeutically effective amount of a given peptide or mini-hepcidin according to the present invention. Peptides having hepcidin activity will diminish or decrease the release of ⁵⁵Fe from cells. Briefly, cells are incubated with ⁵⁵Fe-NTA or ⁵⁵Fe-Tf for 36 hours. After washing off unincorporated ⁵⁵Fe, cells are treated with a given peptide or a control. In case of ferroportin mutants, the transfection is performed prior to addition of ⁵⁵Fe and expression allowed to proceed during the 36 hour iron-loading period. Aliquots of the media are collected after 1, 4, 8, 24, 36, 48 and 72 hours and radioactivity is determined by a scintillation counter. Cell-associated radioactivity can be measured by centrifuging cells through silicone oil to lower the non-specific binding of radiolabeled iron to cells using methods known in the art.

To determine whether a given peptide modifies the internalization and degradation of endogenous ferroportin, the protein levels and cellular distribution of ferroportin in hepatocytes and macrophages treated with the peptide may be assayed using Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and ferroportin antibodies known in the art.

To the extent necessary to understand or complete the disclosure of the present invention, all publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned herein are expressly incorporated by reference therein to the same extent as though each were individually so incorporated.

Having thus described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted by those skilled in the art that the within disclosures are exemplary only and that various other alternatives, adaptations, and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments as illustrated herein, but is only limited by the following claims. 

1. An isolated peptide having the following structural formula A1-A2-A3-A4-A5-A6-A7-A8-A9-A10 wherein A1 is Asp, Glu, pyroglutamate, Gln, Asn, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as a substitute thereof; A2 is Thr, Ser, Val, Ala, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as a substitute thereof; A3 is His, Asn, Arg, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as a substitute thereof; A4 is Phe, Leu, Ile, Trp, Tyr, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as a substitute thereof which includes cyclohexylalanine; A5 is Pro, Ser, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as a substitute thereof; A6 is Ile, Leu, Val, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as a substitute thereof; A7 is Cys, Ser, Ala, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as a substitute thereof which includes S-tertiary butyl-cysteine; A8 is Ile, Leu, Thr, Val, Arg, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as a substitute thereof; A9 is Phe, Leu, Ile, Tyr, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as a substitute thereof which includes cyclohexylalanine; and A10 is Cys, Ser, Ala, or an unnatural amino acid commonly used as a substitute thereof; wherein the carboxy-terminal amino acid is in amide or carboxy-form; wherein at least one sulfhydryl amino acid is present as one of the amino acids in the sequence; and wherein A1, A2, A3, A1 to A2, A1 to A3, A10, A9 to A10, A8 to A10, or a combination thereof are optionally absent.
 2. The peptide of claim 1, wherein A1 is D-Asp, D-Glu, D-pyroglutamate, D-Gln, D-Asn, bhAsp, Ida, or N-MeAsp; A2 is D-Thr, D-Ser, D-Val, Tle, Inp, Chg, bhThr, or N-MeThr; A3 is D-His, D-Asn, DArg, Dpa, (D)Dpa, or 2-aminoindan; A4 is D-Phe, D-Leu, D-Ile, D-Trp, Phg, bhPhe, Dpa, Bip, 1Nal, bhDpa, Amc, PheF5, hPhe, Igl, or cyclohexylalanine; A5 is D-Pro, D-Ser, Oic, bhPro, trans-4-PhPro, cis-4-PhPro, cis-5-PhPro, Idc; A6 is D-Ile, D-Leu, Phg, Chg, Amc, bhIle, Ach, and MeIle; A7 is D-Cys, D-Ser, D-Ala, Cys(S-tBut), homoC, Pen, (D)Pen, Dap(AcBr), and Inp; A8 is D-Ile, D-Leu, D-Thr, D-Val, D-Arg, Chg, Dpa, bhIle, Ach, or MeIle; A9 is D-Phe, D-Leu, D-Ile, PheF5, N-MePhe, benzylamide, bhPhe, Dpa, Bip, 1Nal, bhDpa, cyclohexylalanine; or A10 is D-Cys, D-Ser, D-Ala; or a combination thereof.
 3. The peptide of claim 1, wherein A1 is Ala, D-Ala, Cys, D-Cys, Phe, D-Phe, Asp or D-Asp linked to Cys or D-Cys, Phe or D-Phe linked to a PEG molecule linked to chenodeoxycholate, ursodeoxycholate, or palmitoyl, or Dpa or (D)Dpa linked to palmitoyl; A2 is Ala, D-Ala, Cys, D-Cys, Pro, D-Pro, Gly, or D-Gly; A3 is Ala, D-Ala, Cys, D-Cys, Dpa, Asp or D-Asp linked to Dpa or (D)Dpa; A4 is Ala, D-Ala, Pro, or D-Pro; A5 is Ala, D-Ala, Pro, D-Pro, Arg, D-Arg; A6 is Ala, D-Ala, Phe, D-Phe, Arg, D-Arg, Cys, D-Cys; A7 is His, or D-His; A8 is Cys, or D-Cys; or A9 is Phe or D-Phe linked to RA, Asp, D-Asp, Asp or D-Asp linked to RB, bhPhe linked to RC, or cysteamide, wherein RA is —CONH₂—CH₂—CH₂—S, -D-Pro linked to Pro-Lys or Pro-Arg, -bhPro linked to Pro linked to Pro-Lys or Pro-Arg, -D-Pro linked to bhPro-Lys or bhPro-Arg, wherein RB is -PEG11-GYIPEAPRDGQAYVRKDGEWVLLSTFL, -(PEG11)-(GPHyp)10, and wherein RC is -D-Pro linked to Pro-Lys or Pro-Arg, -D-Pro linked to bhPro-Lys or bhPro-Arg; or a combination thereof.
 4. The peptide of claim 1, wherein A1 is Asp; A2 is Thr; A3 is His; A4 is Phe; A5 is Pro; A6 is Ile; A7 is Ala; A8 is Ile; A9 is Phe; and A10 is Cys in amide form; wherein A1 or A1 to A2 are optionally absent.
 5. The peptide of claim 1, wherein A1 is Asp, A2 is Thr, A3 is His, A4 is Phe, A5 is Pro, A6 is Ile, A7 is Cys or an unnatural thiol amino acid, A8 is Ile, A9 is Phe in amide form, and A10 is absent.
 6. The peptide of claim 1, wherein A1 and A2 are absent, A3 is His, A4 is Phe, A5 is Pro, A6 is Ile, A7 is Cys or an unnatural thiol amino acid, A8 is Ile in amide form, and A9 and A10 are absent.
 7. The peptide of claim 1, wherein A1 and A2 are absent, A3 is His, A4 is Phe, A5 is Pro, A6 is Ile, A7 is Cys or an unnatural thiol amino acid in amide form, and A8 to A10 are absent.
 8. The peptide of claim 1, wherein the peptide is a cyclic peptide.
 9. The peptide of according to claim 1, wherein the sequence is retroinverted such that A1 is the C-terminus and A10 is the N-terminus.
 10. The peptide according to claim 1, wherein the peptide has an addition at the N-terminus, C-terminus, or both.
 11. The peptide according to claim 1, wherein the peptide is selected from the group consisting of: Hep3-8, Hep3-9, Hep1-8, Hep1-9, Hep1-10 C7A, Hep9F4A, Hep9C7-SStBut, (D)C, homoC, Pen, (D)Pen, Cyc-1, Pr10, Pr11, Pr12, riHep7ΔDT, Pr23, Pr24, Pr25, Pr27, Pr28, F4bhPhe, F4Dpa, F4Bip, F4 1Nal, F4bhDpa, F9bhPhe, F9Dpa, F9Bip, F91Nal, F9bhDpa, Pr39, Pr40, Pr41, Pr42, Pr43, Pr44, Pr45, Pr46, Pr13, Pr14, Pr15, Pr16, Pr17, Pr18, Pr19, Pr20, Pr21, Pr22, Pr-1, Pr-2, Pr-3, and Pr-4.
 12. The peptide according to claim 1, wherein the peptide exhibits hepcidin activity.
 13. The peptide according to claim 1, wherein the peptide binds ferroportin.
 14. A composition which comprises at least one peptide according to claim
 1. 15. A method of binding a ferroportin or inducing ferroportin internalization and degradation which comprises contacting the ferroportin with at least one peptide according to any one of claim 1 or the composition according to claim
 14. 16. A method of treating a disease of iron metabolism in a subject which comprises administering at least one peptide according to claim 1 or the composition according to claim 14 to the subject.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the disease of iron metabolism is an iron overload disease.
 18. A kit comprising at least one peptide according to claim 1 or the composition according to claim 14 packaged together with a reagent, a device, instructional material, or a combination thereof.
 19. A complex comprising at least one peptide according to claim 1 bound to a ferroportin or an antibody.
 20. (canceled) 